Great to have Rahul Dravid around, excited and looking forward to learn from him, says Suryakumar
Jul 06, 2021
Colombo [Sri Lanka], July 6 : India batsman Suryakumar Yadav on Tuesday said he is really excited to play under Rahul Dravid's coaching as the former India skipper is known to be calm and composed in the most difficult of situations.
Sri Lanka and India will square off in three ODIs and three T20Is, beginning July 13. While Bhuvneshwar has been named vice-captain, Dhawan will lead the team which will be coached by former India skipper and NCA head Dravid.
The likes of Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan are also in the white-ball squad and many more youngsters are eyeing a debut for India in the Sri Lanka series.
"It is a great opportunity for everyone to have a tour amidst this situation (COVID-19 pandemic). It is a great challenge and responsibility for everyone to come out here and express themselves. Great thing is having Rahul sir around, we have heard a lot about him. This is my first tour with him but I have heard from many players that Rahul sir is very calm and composed when it comes to this role. I am very excited and looking forward to it," said Surya while replying to an ANI query during a virtual press conference.
Surya had a good start in international cricket as he set the T20 stage on fire after scoring a fifty-plus score in just his second T20I against England earlier this year.
"I think that was a completely different challenge, for a batter, every time you go in and play a different game, you have to start from scratch. Here also I have to start from zero. That was a different series and this is a different series but the challenge remains the same. I have to go out there and perform in the same way I did. The pressure would be there, if there is no pressure then there is no fun. As I said, it will be a great challenge and I am really looking forward to it," said Surya.
When asked how the Indian Premier League (IPL) and how Mumbai Indians has groomed him, the 30-year-old said: "I think it has been a great experience and a great learning experience as I have been a part of the setup for a long time. Every year, I have learnt something different from all my teammates. IPL is a great learning and till now, it is like a saying, every year I go in the tournament, I go home learning something new. It is a great learning process and it has helped me to gain a lot of experience."
Team India's white-ball squad trained in Colombo for the first time on Friday as the Dhawan-led squad geared up for the upcoming limited-overs series in the Island Nation.
Earlier, in the pre-departure press conference, Dravid had said that he hopes the white-ball squad is able to give good performances so that they are able to knock the doors of selectors for a call-up for the T20 World Cup which is set to be played later this year in UAE.